Divine Apostasy Book 11 - Chapter 14

Chapter 14

“Okay,” Ruin said, “let’s circle back to Aeonrial’s heresy and the ‘suspicious lack of blood magic.’”

Deryssa pulled herself away from the obvious despair she felt. “Aeonrial is a prodigy beyond description or comprehension. The Harmonic faction would rip the Outerverse to pieces to protect him. Despite the Harmonic faction’s power, the Spire controls all, and eventually even Aeonrial was forced to attend the Spire Academy. Before he left though, he created something impossible.”

Ruin remained silent, soaking in every detail of Deryssa’s story.

“The Outerverse had never produced a Maker as powerful as Aeonrial. He successfully combined the secret powers of each faction, and then gave these powers to all the creatures in his creation. Perhaps just as impressive, he somehow convinced both the Destruction Realm and Creation Realm to provide slivers of their realms so that this universe could have magic.”

When Deryssa paused, Ruin nearly asked for details on how magic related to the realms, but he needed answers to more immediate mysteries first.

“And the blood magic?” Ruin prompted.

“Where is it?” Deryssa asked. “Blood magic originated in the Destruction Realm, and in the Outerverse, some bloodlines crossed over into the Primal faction. Everyone in your Universe is born with this Primal blood magic, and yet, it’s almost nowhere. For that matter, Creation magic and the Radiant faction magic are rare as well. Only the Luminara faction’s magic is prevalent.”

Ruin had theories about this. He believed it related to the balance between all the different magics, but he kept this to himself. The observation about the Luminara’s Soul magic piqued his interest.

Ruin asked the obvious question. “Why is blood magic so rare?”

“I believed Aeonrial’s project was a secret. How could such heresy survive otherwise. I helped Aeonrial after he promised to help against the Val’dor enemies. Yet somehow an assassin found me here. Perhaps other factions discovered Aeonrial’s plans and placed assets here to guard their faction’s secrets. Or…” Deryssa trailed off without continuing the sentence.

Ruin understood the line of thought. “Or suppress the magic of the other factions.”

Deryssa spread her hands. “I might be paranoid. Aeonrial’s vision was ludicrous and almost certainly impossible, so what we witness here might only be the result of a failed experiment.”

Ruin had never considered that some outside force might be interfering. If true, that meant one or more superpowered entities from the Outerverse lurked in their universe, hibernating or hiding until some threshold was reached which triggered destruction on unsuspecting victims. He wished Rami was here so she could look for such extinction events.

It didn’t escape Ruin’s attention that Deryssa had hinted at the Luminara faction’s involvement. The Luminara faction, from the quests he’d received from them, seemed like religious fanatics. That kind of mentality fit with suppression.

“I’d think some deity would’ve recognized such a large group of Luminara soldiers,” Ruin said. “Where would they hide?”

Deryssa shook her head. “Each faction nurtures beings of vast power. The Luminara has trained a hundred such warriors. They’re called Zealots and the Luminara would only need to send one. And if a Zealot was sent here on a crusade, they have the power to destroy everything if they believe they can’t purify the Material Realm.”

“Destroy everything? Like the Universe?”

“If necessary. Zealots have done so in the past.”

Ruin didn’t turn his head to look at Overlord and Uruziel who still stood in his peripheral vision, but he spoke to them over his mental link. Clue Sivart in on all this and when Rami returns, we’ll discuss everyone’s thoughts.

Overlord rubbed his face in a gesture Ruin sympathized with. Destruction Realm Assassins— Outerverse Zealots purifying the Material Realm—What treat awaits us in the Creation Realm?

No one wanted to respond to that.

How does the Void fit into all this? Uruziel asked. Varthon’s task seemed done after getting Aeonrial to wherever this Universe is. So why is he sticking around. He wasn’t very forthcoming about that.

Thoughts of Varthon sparked worry for Rami. He certainly fit the description of a superpowered entity. What if Soul power was allowed to focus suspicion on the Luminara? The Void Wyrm didn’t like humans much, or at least the idea of bonding to one. Could he be one of these Outerverse agents? Uruziel was right, he’d been vague about why he’d stuck around in this Universe after fulfilling his contract with Aeonrial.

Worry for Rami turned to fear. Never had Ruin missed their mental connection more than he did right now. He prayed she remained safe. And it wasn’t just Rami, both Lylan and Hamma had displayed the beginnings of new magic. Did that make them targets?

Discussions of assassins and Zealots caused Ruin to reassess his decision to sit in the open between the five towers. He needed to wrap this up with some quick answers and he could come back later for more information after he’d gotten himself and his friends somewhere safer.

Deryssa studied Ruin, likely reading his emotions from his skin and body language.

“Just a couple more questions for now,” Ruin said. “What’s the significance of the five towers and why don’t you want me to use any legacy gems.”

“The towers are why Aeonrial worked so hard to get my help. When the eight spires were discovered and the Destruction Realm came into existence, the five towers revealed themselves. Theories vary on what they are, but most boil down to the idea of pillars, foundations, or a framework. Basically, they’re the internal support for the Destruction Realm and act like a skeleton. They resonate strongly with five of the Meridians, strengthening them. Each tower has attracted its own religion and while in general certain species are associated with a particular tower, one can belong to any of them or none of them. Reputation for each tower is difficult to gather so usually a citizen only associates with one.”

“What does that have to do with you and why Aeonrial needed you?”

“Any of the original eight bloodlines present at the Destruction Realm’s creation can, once they have strengthened their Meridians sufficiently, manifest the towers. It’s exhausting but few have pure enough blood to create them at all. Having the towers vastly improves the ability to harden your Meridians and at least one set is necessary for the functioning Destruction Realm Aeonrial wished to create.”

Ruin had a thousand questions about those towers, but they could wait. He half turned and pointed to the cabinet full of legacy shards, fragments, and gems. “And those?”

“I’m going to assume you know nothing about our blood magic. The blood of Destruction Realm citizens contains eight separate containers called Arrays, and each container holds eight nodes. These sixty-four nodes are the path to ultimate power.”

Deryssa gestured at the cabinet. “Most powerful entities within the Destruction Realm are blessed with one or two open nodes. Usually, these nodes are already filled with a power passed down via an Inheritance. Every opened node strengthens the blood’s power, providing a significant advantage. It’s every citizen’s desire to open nodes, although most fail to open more than one.”

Deryssa continued. “What makes the noble houses of the Destruction Realm so powerful is their ability to pass on bloodline benefits via Inheritance.” Deryssa locked eyes with Ruin. “Did you receive an Inheritance? I think I sense it, but I’m aware it might be my imagination. Is an Inheritance why you came to bind one of the gems?”

Ruin heard the desperate hope behind Deryssa’s words, which made him hesitant to reveal anything. “Why is that so important to you?”

Deryssa stood and paced silently in front of the mostly empty armor wall. Ruin watched silently. He wanted to leave, but he knew this was important and he wanted to give the woman a chance to talk about an obviously painful topic.

To Ruin’s surprise Deryssa stopped, closed her eyes, and sang.

In ages veiled by twilight's shroud,
When Void was all, and silence bowed,
Eight families forged from shadows deep,
A realm where stars and sorrows weep.

When Destruction Realm from Void emerged,
Five towers stood where powers surged.
Pillars strong that touch the sky,
Meridians where essence lies.

Air whispers through lofty heights,
Fire burns with anguished might.
Death walks where shadows blend,
Chaos reigns without an end.
Darkness fills the silent breach,
Lessons that the towers teach.

Yet time erodes the strongest stone,
Ancient dangers remain unknown.
The spires stand in mute accord,
Guardians of the dark reward.

Deryssa sighed and opened her eyes. She met Ruin’s gaze. “Val’dor blood stretches from me to the very beginning of the Destruction Realm. A bloodline so powerful it persisted through eons. Blood with eight open nodes, a blank slate. Only the first eight families retain this incomprehensible advantage. The System recognizes my genes within you and has marked you a Val’dor. But that is not enough. To claim the Val’dor kingdoms, to lead them in a war of vengeance, to sit on the Silent Throne as the Val’dor heir, you must possess more than my name. You require my blood. Why is my question important you ask? Because blood never lies, and if you are truly Val’dor your blood Inheritance will prove it.”

Ruin regarded Deryssa. Passion and hope had filled her voice. He felt sad for everything she’d lost, including her life. It sounded like the Val’dor had a lot of power and responsibility in the Outerverse, and he didn’t doubt that she’d been the victim of greedy enemies.

But Ruin only sat in the vault because Deryssa had sabotaged all his escape plans and allowed Lalquinrial to destroy Ruin’s real body. Only the miracle of his mental strength had saved him. Yes, he looked like a Val’dor, and even had their blood, but his presence here was temporary. He already carried the burden of saving his Universe. How could he accept responsibility for what he guessed were kingdoms that spanned areas far larger than his puny Universe.

Deryssa contained an immense amount of information however, and Ruin guessed the path to reclaiming his real body would only reveal itself after he understood his present one. She could help with that. The faster he made progress here, the sooner he could protect himself and his friends from the dangers that only seemed to increase as time passed.

Ruin didn’t want to lead a war against other powerful Destruction Realm families, but he couldn’t bring himself to tell Deryssa that. She’d died here, doing her duty and trying to survive long enough to find a solution to her terrible circumstances. He sympathized with her, and he didn’t want to lie.

“I’ll answer your question shortly,” Ruin said, “but I need more information first. Starting with, what is a Heritage?”